Donation to Strengthen Children’s Health Care Across the Bay Area

UC San Francisco (UCSF) announced today a second gift of $100 million from Lynne and Marc Benioff to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and also its affiliate, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (Children’s Hospital Oakland).

The gift will be used to strengthen the existing talent and programs in basic and clinical research and patient care at the two premier institutions, as well as attract new expertise, in order to accelerate the development of innovative solutions for children’s health on both sides of the San Francisco Bay, as well as nationally and globally.

“We are thrilled to advance our vision of improving health of the children in Oakland and San Francisco, and to fuel positive changes in the care of our youngest patients today and for future generations,” said Sam Hawgood, MBBS, interim chancellor of UCSF, dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and a neonatologist. “This gift significantly strengthens the abilities of both institutions to attract and retain top talent in pediatric health, as well as to support the next evolution of research and clinical programs.”

In recognition of the two hospitals’ affiliation on January 1, 2014, Children's Hospital Oakland will be named UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital will be named UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. Together, the hospitals will be named UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals are two leading Bay Area children’s hospitals with longstanding commitments to public service. Both institutions, as well as UCSF Medical Center, care for all children who seek help, regardless of their family’s ability to pay, and provide millions of dollars of uncompensated care and community services for low-income, homeless and underinsured patients. From free children’s health screenings to staffing clinics, the hospitals help meet the needs of Northern California’s most vulnerable populations.

“The generosity and commitment of Marc and Lynne Benioff will strengthen Oakland’s thriving medical research community and ensure doctors on both sides of the Bay have world-class facilities to care for children, regardless of income,” said California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco will be part of a 289-bed integrated hospital complex for children, women and cancer patients that will open February 1, 2015 at UCSF Mission Bay. Construction of the new children’s hospital is on schedule and below budget. The 183-bed hospital increases the capacity of the current UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, located on the UCSF Parnassus campus, by 20 beds, and will feature a rooftop helipad to bring critically ill newborns, children and pregnant women to UCSF from community hospitals; a dedicated pediatric emergency room designed just for children; as well as private and semi-private rooms in the new intensive care nursery.

“We are building a world-class pediatric facility that puts the needs of our patients and their families at the forefront,” said Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. “This donation ensures we can continue to advance the most innovative clinical care within the new hospital, as well as outside its walls by partnering with colleagues at our research campus and with Children’s Oakland physicians and staff.”

“This extraordinary gift will have a significant impact on the care we provide children as it will be used to strengthen facilities at Children’s Oakland as well as our education, research, and community benefit missions," said Bert Lubin, MD, CEO of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and a pediatrician.

The two hospitals have worked together for decades and are highly regarded nationally as well as internationally, each having made significant advancements in developing new treatments and achieving better health outcomes for children.

"Private support is essential for UC to deliver the highest quality care, training and research innovations needed to advance children's health,” said Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California. "I thank the Benioffs for their generous support of UCSF and their commitment to our shared mission of building healthy communities.”

UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco are involved in more than 400 research protocols led by more than 500 investigators researching cures for hundreds of pediatric and adult diseases. The children’s hospital is one of the leading children's hospitals in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.

"We have been deeply inspired by the incredible kids, doctors, researchers, and administrators at both UCSF and Children's Hospital Oakland," said Lynne and Marc Benioff. "We feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to support the best children's hospitals in the world."

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is one of only two solely designated California Level One pediatric trauma centers in the region and is ranked among the nation’s top ten research centers for National Institutes of Health funding to independent children’s hospitals.

Together, the two hospitals are positioned to become the most comprehensive providers of pediatric care in the Bay Area, and strengthen their national leadership in pediatric education and research, and advocacy.

Both have leading pediatric residency programs, a number of unique pediatric subspecialty fellowship programs, a research base for the next generation of discoveries, and expertise in pediatric clinical care.

Combined, the hospitals will be among the top ten largest children’s health care providers in the country when the new UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco opens in February 2015. The affiliation also has the potential to provide better health care value to consumers through higher quality care, lower costs and more coordinated access to services at hospital locations on both sides of the Bay, as well as medical facilities throughout Northern California.

About UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland is one of only two solely designated California Level One pediatric trauma centers in the region, sees more than 45,000 Emergency Department visits per year, and has one of largest pediatric intensive care units in Northern California. The hospital has a large, 250,000 visit per year, outpatient and preventative medicine program and has the only pediatric hospital-based Federally Qualified Health Center in California, providing outpatient care to underserved children in much of Northern California.
The hospital’s research arm, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI), is internationally known for its basic and clinical research, and is ranked among the nation’s top ten research centers for National Institutes of Health funding to independent children’s hospitals. Children’s trains 90 pediatric residents and 23 pediatric subspecialty fellows and educates numerous health care professionals annually.

About UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco is the only California state-designated children’s medical center in San Francisco. The hospital is one of the leading children's hospitals in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Its expertise covers virtually all pediatric conditions, including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, organ transplants and orthopedics as well as the care of critically ill newborns.

The hospital is part of UC San Francisco, whose School of Medicine leads schools nationally in grants from the National Institutes of Health.

About UC San Francisco

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy, a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic biomedical, translational and population sciences, as well as a preeminent biomedical research enterprise and two top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.